What adjustment should be made if shots are pulling too fast?

When shots are pulling too fast, it's an indication that water is passing through the coffee grounds too quickly, often leading to a thin and under-extracted espresso. Adjusting the grinder to pull slower is one effective way to address this issue.

Making the grinder pull slower, which involves turning the grind setting counterclockwise, effectively reduces the particle size of the coffee grounds. Finer grounds create more resistance to the flow of water, allowing for a longer extraction time. This adjustment enhances the chance that the water will extract more flavors from the coffee, resulting in a richer and more balanced shot.

While increasing the grind size could, in theory, also impact extraction speed, it would typically make the problem worse if shots are already pulling too fast. Similarly, adding more coffee grounds could be beneficial up to a point, but it generally works best in conjunction with the right grind size and dose that fits within the espresso machine's capabilities. Decreasing water temperature can also be a factor in extraction, but it does not directly address the speed of the pull, which is primarily influenced by grind size.

Overall, fine-tuning the grind size to achieve a slower pull aligns with the principles of espresso extraction and is a critical adjustment when encountering fast shots.